1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus for removing injection molded articles from the opened injection mold of an injection molding machine. The apparatus includes a carriage which is movably mounted on a guide bed. The guide bed is aligned parallel to the direction of operation of the closing unit for the injection mold. The carriage includes a cantilever which extends transversely of the guide bed. The cantilever carries a slide member longitudinally movable on the cantilever. A support member is mounted in the slide member so as to be adjustable in upward and downward directions. The support member has at its lower end a grasping member for injection molded articles. The grasping member is adjustable relative to the support member about at least two joints which extend perpendicularly to each other.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In a known apparatus for removing injection molded articles from injection molding machines, the drive for moving the carriage along the guide bed and the drive for moving the slide member along the cantilever are mounted on the carriage. The power is supplied to these drives through trailing power supply cables which are connected to the carriage and can be moved along the guide bed in accordance with the movements carried out by the carriage.
Also, in known apparatus for removing injection molded articles from injection molding machines, the drive for the upward and downward movement of the support member, as well as the drives for opening and closing and for turning and tilting the grasping member carried by the support member, are mounted in the slide member which is movable on the cantilever.
In this known embodiment of an apparatus for removing injection molded articles from injection molding machines, it is a disadvantage that the slide member must be able to cooperate with trailing power supply cables which are moved alongside the cantilever. In addition, the load applied to the cantilever does not only include the weight of the slide member and of the support member carried by the slide member, but also the drives carried by the slide member and the support member.
In order to ensure an exact control of the movements of the grasping member for the injection molded articles relative to the closing unit and the injection mold of the injection molding machine, while permitting a freely programmable construction of the apparatus, it is necessary in the known apparatus described above that all interacting operating units are of stiff and, thus, structurally strong design.
It is, therefore, the primary object of the present invention to overcome the disadvantages of the known apparatus for removing injection molded articles from injection molding machines described above. Specifically, an apparatus is to be provided which has a relatively small structural weight, while still ensuring a very exact control movement of the grasping member relative to the closing unit or the injection mold.